Journal of Perioperative Practice

Ensuring radiation safety in healthcare settings is crucial to minimising risks associated with ionising radiation exposure. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and behaviours of operating room personnel regarding protection from ionising radiation.

This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 100 surgical team members in two hospitals in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Demographic Information Form and Healthcare Professional Knowledge of Radiation Protection Scale.

The participants’ overall knowledge level regarding radiation protection was an average score of 5.09 ± 2.35. A statistically significant difference was observed between the surgical team member role and the subscale of radiation physics, biology, and principles of radiation use (p = 0.008), as well as the total scale score (p = 0.025). The participants who had received training had significantly better knowledge and behaviours related to radiation protection (p < 0.05).

The surgical team members demonstrated an adequate level of awareness regarding radiation protection, but there were deficiencies in translating their knowledge into practice. Providing periodic training supported by interactive learning methods can reinforce the radiation safety practices of healthcare professionals.

The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) is credited with improving outcomes after emergency laparotomy in England and Wales. Yet audit data do not save lives on their own; human effort to implement change does. This article examines how perioperative teams can convert NELA metrics into meaningful improvements, drawing on three implementation studies to separate genuine effect from ‘audit spotlight’ artefact.

First: outcome gains depend on implementation fidelity with local adaptation. Where bundle adherence was high and teams had senior champions, effective feedback, and practical enablers, mortality and length of stay improved. Where fidelity to the bundle faltered, benefits disappeared. Second: early wins plateau, so teams should expect diminishing returns and target the remaining vital few barriers (e.g. timely imaging, senior presence, postoperative critical care). Third: equity matters. Smaller hospitals lag on several NELA indicators, suggesting a need for focused support and shared learning. Finally, what matters to patients should be tracked, using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and follow-up where feasible.

For perioperative services, the message is practical: NELA data should be paired with near-real-time feedback, pathway steps under clinicians’ control need resources, what matters to patients needs to be measured, and local adaptation helps to sustain gains.

Acute postoperative sialadenitis, often referred to as ‘anaesthesia mumps’, is a rare and transient condition that may occur following surgery. While it is generally benign, the anaesthetist must be aware of this rare possibility when a postoperative patient presents with swelling of the parotid glands.

We report the case of a 59-year-old female patient who underwent a staging laparotomy with combined general and epidural anaesthesia. In the postoperative period, she developed an acute onset swelling of the bilateral parotid glands, which subsequently resolved without any complications.

This case report highlights the importance of considering anaesthesia mumps in the differential diagnosis of postoperative parotid swelling. It further explores potential risk factors associated with this condition and discusses relevant prevention strategies and management approaches.

We aimed to assess the impact of the rectus sheath and transversus abdominis plane blocks on postoperative pain alleviation and recovery in children undergoing laparoscopic appendicectomies.

Ninety patients got a transversus abdominis plane block and rectus sheath block and were randomly divided into three groups. Each patient had taken 2.5ml of 0.5% bupivacaine (1.25mg/kg). Group 1: 0.3mg/kg of dexamethasone was added to the bupivacaine. Group 2: 1μg/kg of dexmedetomidine was added to the bupivacaine. Group 3: received only bupivacaine. We recorded analgesic usage overall, postoperative pain score, time until initial analgesic use, side effects and satisfaction score.

The dexmedetomidine group had a significantly longer mean time to initial rescue analgesia (13.13 ± 2.81) compared to the control and dexamethasone groups (11.6 ± 2.99, 7.27 ± 2; p < 0.001). Within the first 24 hours following surgery, the dexmedetomidine group consumed considerably less rescue analgesia (490.5 ± 129) than the dexamethasone and control groups (556 ± 210.4, 811.5 ± 333.9; p < 0.0001). With better satisfaction, fewer analgesics were taken, and fewer side effects and lower postoperative pain levels were observed in the dexmedetomidine group.

Dexmedetomidine in combined transversus abdominis plane and rectus sheath blocks can enhance postoperative pain relief, decrease analgesic use and hasten postoperative recovery.